Despite enthusiastic support, Greenville came in second to Park City, Utah, in Outside magazine's best active town competition.

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A release from Outside said: "The finalists selected were put up for a three-week vote on Facebook. Greenville had an impressive showing -- the city of 60,000 had the most votes with 7,154 -- but for per capita excitement, no place was as passionate as Park City, which received two-thirds as many votes (5,179) as it has residents."

The article that will be in the Aug. 13 edition says: "In the past two decades, this former mill town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains landed big employers like GE, Michelin, and BMW and transformed itself into a small city that’s alive with parks, leafy streets, bike paths, and a thriving foodie scene. Which has Greenvillians psyched.

"Citizens pulled out all the stops in an effort to top our list, putting signs on lawns, bombing our Facebook (more than 7,000 people voted), and even organizing a parade down Main Street led by the mayor. While Greenville didn’t win, we wouldn’t hesitate to consider a move here. There are more than 200 downtown events each year, from a weekly music series (Greenville Heritage Main Street Fridays) to a three-day arts festival (Artisphere) to frequent cycling races (including the 2013 Para-Cycling Open).

"Voters lauded the parks and greenways, particularly the 18-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail -- a virtual pedestrian super-highway -- and the strong cycling and running communities. “I’ve lived in Greenville for 12 years and have gone from couch potato to marathon runner,” says reader Marisa Marshall, a marketing project manager for tech company ScanSource. And the weather encourages everyone to get outside. “Pretty much ten months out of the year, I can be hiking, biking -- anything I want,” says Brad Willis, a 39-year-old freelance writer."

Outside editor Christopher Keyes said, "With more than 21,000 votes, our third-annual Facebook competition was our most competitive yet. Greenville and Park City battled it out for weeks. We're proud to showcase both towns in the magazine and thrilled with the level of engagement this program has garnered from readers."